Celia Brokaw

Spain has a long and complex history of political, social, and economic change that has deeply impacted the way most Spanish citizens interact with and conceive of politics. These periods of transitioning power dynamics brought much instability but also greatly contributed to many aspects of Spain’s rich present-day culture. 15M, for example, was a widespread political movement that resulted from the Great Recession in 2007. This movement, also known as Spain’s Outraged movement, was a series of protests, sit-ins, and demonstrations against austerity policies and increasing economic inequality in Spain. 15M had lasting effects on many European countries and resulted in a huge shift in the way Spaniards engage in and conceive of activism, politics, and the relation between the two. This project investigates the effects of 15M on current social and political movements in Spain, with the objective of exploring the interrelation of activism and cultural production, specifically within generation Z. I will analyze various social and political movements and organizations that have emerged since 15M, as well as the cultural production that showcases mainstream activism. Through an investigation on a wide array of sources regarding this topic, I aim to broaden our understanding of how attitudes towards activism are changing and how that in turn shifts the definition of politics and new representations of activism in cultural production.